


Monday Nights with Mulder

by Caraphernellic



Category: The X-Files
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, MSR, Mention of cryptids, Romance, Slow Burn, radio show, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:27:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caraphernellic/pseuds/Caraphernellic
Summary: “Monday Nights with Mulder, whom am I speaking with?”“This is Doctor Starbuck.” She cringes at the obviously fake name, but it was the first thing she could think of. No way was she letting this stranger know her real first or last name.“Dr. Starbuck,” Mulder repeats, playing along. “Would you like to weigh in?”“I would actually."
Relationships: Dana Scully/Fox Mulder, Scully/Mulder
Comments: 41
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm SO excited about this piece! I normally stick to TXF verse, but I had the idea for a radio show AU and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I'm a few chapters ahead, not sure what my posting schedule will be or how many chapters in total, so stay tuned. Tags will be updated as more gets posted.
> 
> All rights belong to the creators, I do not own the characters or The X-Files.

At first, it was at the insistence of her friend Ellen. 

“Dana, you’ve gotta listen to this guy.”

‘This guy’ refers to a radio show host who simply went by ‘Mulder’. Ellen thought he was a hoot, although from what Scully has heard, the guy was completely serious in his topics.

She happened to be home that Monday night, so she turned on the radio while she cooked and bustled around the kitchen, tuning into her first “ _ Monday Nights with Mulder” _ show. Spooky theme music played as an intro, and then the man introduced himself as well as the night's topic.

Mothman.

_ Was this guy for real? _

Scully chuckled to herself as she chopped carrots, listening to the man’s albeit nice voice do a deep dive into the legend surrounding the ‘creature’ known as Mothman. He certainly sounded serious, even as he took callers- some who had blatantly tried to cuss him out or call him an idiot. She had to hand it to him, he seemed to stay calm and collected and stood his ground.

“How would you explain the sightings of a large, man-like creature with wings and red eyes?” Mulder asked a skeptical caller.

“Liars. Those people are liars, the whole lot of ‘em.” The caller was a man with a slight twang, and he was getting more riled up by the minute. “Folks see something and their first thought is a monster, well the world don’t work like that. One person sees it and the sheep follow the herd, everyone wants to create mass hysteria.” 

“While that is certainly possible, I think the most unexplainable detail is that this being was sighted before several major catastrophic events. These things could not have been predicted by anyone, and yet the sightings exactly coincided with the scene of these disasters.” Mulder goes on to say, and his angry caller is quiet.

Even Scully thinks that’s a little bit interesting, although it’s obviously complete bullshit. She supposes she can understand why Ellen and several others have mentioned the radio show- it’s definitely entertaining.

~

The next week, she happens to actually be at Ellen’s. The pair are having a quiet wine night, when suddenly her friend looks at the clock and jumps up.

“Just in time!”

The now slightly familiar music fills Dana’s ears and she almost rolls her eyes.

“You’re obsessed.” She raises an eyebrow at her friend over her wine glass and takes another sip.

“What can I say, that’s the price of entertainment.” She smirks and they share a laugh. This week's topic is Bigfoot and the origin of Sasquatches. When he refers to hunting for these mythical creatures as ‘squatchin’, Scully and Ellen burst into another fit of laughter.

“See? It’s fun. You need more fun, you’re always cooped up at your place with a medical textbook or at work. It’s not healthy.” Her friend shakes her head in mock disapproval.

She’s not entirely wrong; Scully had landed a job at a medical center six months ago and since that day, her social and personal lives had dwindled down to nearly nothing. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a date, or did something purely just for fun.

She missed the next Monday night show, but she did manage to catch the one after that. Mulder’s voice kept her company as she stayed late at work to finish her patient files for the day. He had a nice voice, soothing. Although the genre of the radio show was not Dana’s usual style, there was something about the man that kept her listening. He was intelligent- he had bashfully mentioned an Oxford education briefly during one of his spiels- and funny too. Something about him was charming in such a base way.

She tried Googling him once, although she would never admit it out loud. She didn’t know his first name, but she did find several articles in a newspaper called The Lone Gunman. It seemed he had a cult following online, but other than that, there wasn’t so much as a picture of the man or a mention of anything identifying other than his surname.

Scully briefly thought about searching ‘Oxford’ cross-referenced with ‘Mulder’, but that seemed a little too close to stalking for her liking.

~

It turns out that the authors of The Lone Gunman newspaper were guests on the show just a few short weeks later. Scully isn’t sure whether she should feel weird about being ‘in the know’ and recognizing them.

She settles onto her couch with a cozy blanket and a warm mug of tea. She lazily paints her nails, listening to the newcomers banter back and forth with Mulder. 

“The story of a man who walked away from the D.C. county morgue has many locals crying ‘zombie’. It’s quite interesting, he had been pronounced dead for more than seven hours before he was relocated to the morgue. When the technician began the autopsy, he had just begun recording his testimony when the body sat up from the table. The physician was so freaked that he left the room and when he came back, the body was gone _. _ ” Mulder introduced his conversation piece for the evening to his audience as well as his guests.

Scully sets down her mug of tea and picks up the phone before she can even register. She can’t believe this civilian is reporting news to who knows how many listeners that includes tall tales of people rising from the dead.

The number is dialed before the rational portion of her brain can catch up with her fingers.

“Monday Nights with Mulder, whom am I speaking with?”

“This is Doctor Starbuck.” She cringes at the obviously fake name, but it was the first thing she could think of. No way was she letting this stranger know her real first or last name.

“Dr. Starbuck,” Mulder repeats, playing along. “Would you like to weigh in?”

“I would actually, as I can’t in good conscience let you proclaim that there are zombies amongst us, when there are several logical, scientific explanations for the phenomena. Causing hysteria among anyone who is listening is  _ not _ helpful. Bodies are proven to move on their own after death due to any number of causes, including but not limited to: bloating, relaxation of rigor mortis, bugs or larvae, or gases, to name a few.” Scully doesn’t think she’s taken a breath her entire monologue until the very end, and she breathes out to relieve some of the tension she had harbored during her outburst.

The line is quiet for a moment, as Mulder and the Lone Gunmen process what she has said.

“Well, Dr. Starbuck, those are certainly facts, however, I don’t believe any of those factors can explain a body  _ getting up and walking away _ .” He doesn’t say it in a condescending way, in fact, Dana isn’t sure she’s ever even heard him raise his voice or change his tone.

“There have also been instances where a person has been falsely or inaccurately pronounced deceased.” Scully points out. She refuses to back down- this isn’t Lazarus in the Bible, this is a simple case of either misinformation or sloppy medical work.

“I appreciate your call, you have unquestionably made valid points that I think are important to consider. I would also like to say that I do not subscribe to one theory nor the other, I simply think it is a very intriguing story that may have more under the surface than a black and white answer. As always- the truth is out there.”

Scully hangs up in a panic, unsure of how else to close out her statements. Furthermore, he just used his ‘famous’ line on her, and she was more than a little struck by it.

Her phone rings and she knows that it will be Ellen.

“Hello?”

“Dana, I can’t believe it!”

She sits down on her couch heavily, wondering if she should be embarrassed, if she has totally overreacted.

“You were great!” Ellen assures her. “It was awesome, the way you gave him the facts like that. The show needs more of it, I think- both sides. Then the listeners can decide for themselves what they believe instead of automatically leaning one way.”

“Maybe.” Dana concedes dubiously. “I don’t know, I just got so angry, I just wanted to get my point across. He always says things aren’t always what they seem, but sometimes they are.”

~

Scully’s cheeks burn as she reads the latest Lone Gunman online article.

_ Dr. Starbuck gives Mulder of “ _ Monday Nights with Mulder”  _ a run for his money. _

She can’t believe anyone even paid her any mind- all sorts of people call in every week. Maybe it was her obvious pseudonym, she thinks with amusement.

Week after week, Scully tunes in for the radio show. Mulder does thorough research on each topic, and at the very least, the show is interesting. At the very most, it challenges her to view everything through a different lens.

She thinks of her own views as binoculars, and his are comparative to a kaleidoscope. It’s fascinating, and it keeps her coming back every Monday to the same spot on her couch with the radio turned up.

The comments online regarding ‘Dr. Starbuck’ have dwindled, and she had all but forgotten her call in to the show.

Until, the show calls in to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait a few more days to post this, but I received so many kind and encouraging comments that I decided to post early!

It is a Wednesday evening, and Scully has practically just walked in the door of her apartment when the phone rings.

She picks it up, juggling the grocery bags in her hand. Absently, she says “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Dr. Starbuck?”

She is  _ sure  _ this is Mulder’s voice.

“Excuse me?” Is the first thing she says. Her tongue feels thick in her mouth, she had certainly not been expecting this. 

“This is Mulder from the radio show. Listen, I would love to have you on the show, if you’re interested.”

“How did you….” Dana sets down the paper bag containing her canned goods.

“The Gunmen.” He chuckles, and she knows that he must also know her real name, but kept up the pretense of her pseudonym. “I think it could bring us in a new direction, the listeners would love to hear more of you. You’re local? You could come to the station, record with me. I’ll see what kind of monetary incentive I can scrounge up.”

“I….I don’t know what to say. I wouldn’t know what to say on the show.” She pinches her hand in case her mind is conjuring up this entire conversation in a dream.

“Say yes.” Mulder responds. “Please.”

It’s the please that does it for her.

~

This is how she finds herself outside of the local recording studio. They had agreed to meet outside so that he could walk her in, and she’s nervous. She quickly wipes her palms on her pants and paces two steps away, then two steps back.

“Dana?”

She had given him her real name during their conversation a few days prior, despite her knowing that he already knew it from the Gunmen’s research.

“Scully, is fine.” She figured if he goes by his last name, maybe she should too. Scully finally looks up and comes face to face with Mulder.

He’s tall, towering over her by maybe a foot.

And  _ handsome _ .

Strong jaw, expressive hazel eyes, and that mouth...she hopes she hasn’t been outright ogling him but thinks that she may have been. She holds out a hand for him to shake, and he flashes her an encouraging smile. As they walk inside, she can’t help but also notice how clearly fit he is underneath his clothes.

He leads her to a basement office, his own small recording room.

“Welcome to the studio’s most unwanted.” He grins at his joke.

The place is clean, but lightly cluttered with papers. It also smells like fresh coffee, of which he offers her a cup.

“No thank you.” She politely declines, already too keyed up to add caffeine to the mix. She sits in an older, well-loved chair opposite his own, a medium sized table between them containing the recording equipment. It’s different than she imagined, less high tech and sophisticated. It’s nice though, she feels strangely comfortable.

“You ready?” He flashes her an easy grin, holding his own cup of coffee and taking a seat.

“As I’ll ever be.”

They had previously discussed a little bit of the semantics, but knowing that the show was live was the most nerve-wracking part. There was no room for error here.

“Just be yourself. The listeners like the realness factor.”

Scully refrains from chuckling at that part, given the topics of the show. She isn’t sure she would use the word ‘real’ as a descriptor. She takes a deep breath and gives him a nod.

She is Dana Katherine Scully, who went to medical school, graduated from medical school, and completed her intern year. A simple radio show isn’t something to be afraid of. She can conquer this just like anything else.

The theme music plays first, then her counterpart’s voice as he leans into his mic.

“Welcome to XFLS, 99.3,  _ Monday Nights with Mulder _ . Tonight, we have a special topic and  a special guest- Dr. Starbuck.” They had agreed to preserve her real identity and continue with the pseudonym.

“Before we begin, I have an important question for you, Doc.”

This is in no way scripted, as Mulder said, he likes the realness factor. He wanted her to be surprised by the topic of the show so that the content would be at its peak- her reactions would be genuine.

She waits patiently, smiling softly at him. Her fingers pick at a loose thread on her pants for something to do.

“Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?”

~

The question had its intended effect, it shocked her. They had a great discussion, him throwing information at her at every turn and her providing a rational explanation almost every time. Once again, he had clearly thoroughly researched the subject and was no slouch or tin-foil hat man. Truthfully, he had broached many points and brought forth information Scully had never even heard. That isn’t to say he made a believer out of her, but she was surprised to find that she was disappointed when he began to close out the show for the evening. The hour had passed by almost without her noticing.  Once her fear had subsided, it simply felt like a conversation with a friend.

The show officially ends with the soft click of the recording equipment. The red light blinks off, and he smiles at her.

“You did great.” Scully can tell he is being genuine, and it makes her feel good.

“That was...fun.” She admits, giving Mulder a smile of her own.

“It was.” He agrees. “Listen...do you want to grab a bite to eat?” 

Her stomach flutters and she moves her gaze from his floppy brown hair to meet his eyes.

“I am pretty hungry.” She shrugs, hoping she comes off as casual.

~

The duo walks down the street to a 50’s style diner. Scully sips on her milkshake, feeling suddenly bold enough to ask him a question.

“Have you always been interested in this kind of stuff?” She absently tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and pretends not to notice him track the movement.

“Actually, no.” He twists his straw wrapper in his fingers. “Not until college. Lonely American at Oxford, had to find something to occupy my time I guess.” He chuckles, but Scully senses there is more to the story. She doesn’t pry at the moment.

“What about you?” He asks, turning the full weight of the gaze of his beautiful eyes on her. It momentarily mesmerizes her, almost has her snorting “Me?” before realizing they don’t know each other very well. He has no idea that she actually doesn’t have much interest in the subject without the involvement of the show.

“Well, no.” She admits, in the interest of being honest. “My friend mentioned your show to me, and that’s what made me decide to give it a listen.”

“You must’ve liked it enough.” His boyish grin makes itself known again, and it stirs something inside her.

“I find your point of view to be very interesting, Mulder.”

“That’s a very nice way to say you think I’m a kook.”

They both laugh.

~

He walks her to her car after, shaking her hand in an almost comically formal way compared to the rest of their evening.

“The check will be coming to you in the mail. Thanks for doing the show.”

“You’re welcome.” She holds his gaze and he gives her a salute before disappearing back into the studio.

~

“You like him!” Ellen was always one for the dramatics, and her reaction over Dana’s recount of her experience with  _ Monday Nights with Mulder _ was certainly no exception. 

“He was a nice guy.” Scully tells her flatly. Sure, he was charming and good-looking too, but he was just a guy. A guy who wanted her on his show for content. This would be the end of it; they would both go back to their lives.

“Didn’t you say he was handsome?” Her friend pries.

“You’ve got me- he was so handsome that I stared at him in silence for the duration of the hour. Then we made out on his desk and accidentally broke the recording equipment.”

Ellen balks. “Really?!”

“No!”

~

Mulder watches the pretty red-head drive away. Dana- no, Scully, was great. He knew she was brilliant the first time that she called into MNWM, and he was thrilled when she agreed to come do an episode with him.

She was petite, beautiful, and had a knack for spitting his own fire right back at him. He was glad she had agreed to go out afterward as well, it gave him a small chance to get to know her.

He also noticed there was no wedding ring on her finger.

It was hard sometimes, being the strange guy- it didn’t make for an exciting dating life. Some women didn’t take kindly to the idea that his career was being the host of a cult radio show, or that some of his favorite topics included cryptids and aliens.

Maybe, just maybe, if he played his cards right, this could be something more.

He decided to send her an email barely a week later- they had exchanged contact information the first time they spoke on the phone. 

Mulder sends her a link to an online article about the show they did together, with a small message:

_ “You’re a hit :)” _

It takes her less than a day to respond.

_ “I owe it all to the extraterrestrials.” _

~

Scully smiles as she closes her laptop. How strange it was that just a few short months ago, she had no idea who Mulder even was, and now he’s part of her weekly routine.

They’ve emailed back and forth several more times, and she still tunes in to the weekly show. She’s surprised when he calls her again one evening unexpectedly.

“Scully, it’s me.” He says it as if they do this all the time, although he’s not wrong in assuming they have enough familiarity for her to know who “me” is.

“Hi Mulder, this is a surprise.” She cradles the phone between her shoulder and ear and sits down on the couch. 

“I was hoping you had another craving for a milkshake.”

She agrees to meet him at the same diner as before, and he waits for her outside the door. It’s sweet, that he waited for her instead of just going inside.

“So tell me.” Scully says as they grab the same booth from their first visit. “What is your first name? I realized you never told me. It’s not anywhere.”

He chuckles “Yeah, that’s for a reason.” He pulls out a leather wallet with his initials in the corner. 

**F.W.M**

“Gift from my mother.” He comments. “You’ll never guess what the F is.” He tells her confidently.

She sizes him up, “Hmmm.”

“Freddie?”

“No.”

“Fez.”

“No.”

“Felix.”

“Nope.” His lips pop on the ‘P’.

“Fernando, Franklin, Finn, Floyd, Francisco.”

“No, no, no, no, and no.”

She laughs. “I don’t want to admit defeat, but I might have to.”

“Fox.” He says seriously.

“Fox?” She asks, considering. “Fox Mulder.”

“That’s me.” He sips his drink, coffee this time, despite it being nighttime.

“I like it, it’s-”

Mulder interrupts her. “Weird like me?” A small smile plays on his lips, as if it’s a private joke. As if he has been told this before.

“No, I was going to say it’s unexpected. I like that about you, you’re unexpected. You surprise me.”

“I could say the same about you.” He tells her. His fingers play with his coffee mug, looping in and looping out through the handle. She notices he fidgets a lot, always has to be doing something with his hands. It’s strangely endearing.

“The Gunmen ask about you, you know.” He continues.

“Really? What are they like?” Scully genuinely wants to know- she wants to be able to picture them.

“Well there’s Byers, Langley, and Frohike.” He describes them to her in detail, and she laughs at several anecdotes he shares with her.

“You guys must be close.” Scully comments.

“Yeah, they’re good guys. They’ve helped me out a lot, with the technical portion of the show when I was first getting started, and with research. And promo with their online/print magazine- as I’m sure you know. They don’t really have anyone else, you know? I guess none of us do.”

“You don’t have a lot of family around?” Scully is fortunate enough to not be able to imagine this.

“No, my mother doesn’t live close.”

He doesn’t mention a father, and she knows better than to bring it up. “No siblings?” She asks, thinking of her own sister and two brothers.

He grimaces, and the sudden change in demeanor makes Dana freeze. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“I have a sister.” He tells her. “Samantha.”

“I have a sister too,” She tells him, and she knows she’s made the right decision of changing the subject from Samantha when she sees the obvious relief on Mulder’s face.

“Are you two alike?” He asks her. 

She thinks of Melissa, her spunky, fearless, spiritual sister. “Not at all.”

Mulder nods, “I should’ve guessed. I don’t think there’s anyone like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you catch the little hidden things in this chapter?
> 
> Thank you to everyone who took the time to read!


	3. Chapter 3

Scully is pretty sure she’s actually blushing. “Thank you. Assuming you meant it as a compliment.”

He laughs, “Of course I did.” 

She sips her milkshake for something to do, unsure of what to say next.

Mulder glances out the window for a few beats, and Scully looks too. It’s dark outside, the reflection of the neon lights on the diner wall behind them casting a glow and obscuring the view of the street. 

“Do you want to go for a walk?” He asks.

She accepts, and just a few minutes later their table is being wiped and they’re exiting the establishment. 

A rabbit jumps out of a bush and startles Scully. She sidesteps into Mulder out of shock.

“Sorry.” She mumbles, embarrassed. “And here I thought you were the one believing in things that go bump in the night.”

He scoffs, “I  _ want _ to believe.”

“I think that’s half the battle.” She tells him. 

~

“Mulder.” Scully giggles into the phone- he’s never heard her laugh like that. The background sounds loud, music and other voices almost drowning hers out.

“Scully?”

“Hi.” She laughs again.

“Are you drunk?” She definitely sounds tipsy at the very least.

“Um, maybe!” 

“Where are you? I’ll come pick you up. You shouldn’t be driving.”

“I didn’t drive, I walked.” Scully tells him matter-of-factly.

“Well I’m certainly not letting you walk home alone.”

Mulder pulls up to the bar Scully had named less than fifteen minutes later. He has to work to find her in the sea of people, her tiny frame being swallowed by the moving bodies. She’s perched on a stool at the bar, the neck of a bottle clumsily gripped in her fingers. Her cheeks are flushed and there’s a twinkle in her eye. She laughs with a friend, neither of them yet noticing him.

“A round of waters, please.” He cuts in, standing next to Scully.

“Mulder!” She practically exclaims his name. “Monica, Mulder is here!” She almost accidentally smacks her beer bottle on her friend’s arm with her excitement.

“Is this the friend that recommended you my show?” He asks with a grin, leaning with one hip on the wooden lip of the bar. 

“Nooo, this is Monica.” She says, as if that is supposed to be an explanation. Scully sips from the water handed to her by the bartender, spilling some of it down the front of her shirt.

Mulder chuckles and hands her a napkin. “You ladies ready to go?”

The women look shocked that he included both of them.

“I called a taxi, but thank you...Mulder.” Monica looks between them and lingers a look on Scully with a soft, knowing smile.

Mulder holds a hand out to help Scully down from her stool. Even in heeled sandals, she’s significantly shorter than him, and he finds it endearing. Just as he finds the flush staining her cheeks endearing, and the slight wobble in her step as she shuffles out next to him.

They step out into the crisp evening air, the sounds of the bar receding behind them as they walk down the street.

“Why did you call me tonight?” He asks her, watching to gauge her reaction.

“Uhmmm, I don’t remember.” Mulder thinks she’s lying. She stumbles before he can press the issue, and he reaches an arm out to her without thinking. 

“Ouch.” She sticks her lip out childishly. “My ankle. My shoe!” Scully looks down at the broken heel of her sandal. 

“Let me see it.” He crouches down to survey the damage. She rests her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as she raises one leg. He inspects the broken shoe. “Lost cause, I’m afraid.”

Mulder stands and swiftly scoops Scully up in a bridal-style carry.

“Woah. It’s high up here.” She laughs. 

He takes her to her apartment complex, not too far from the bar, which is why she must’ve walked. 

“Let me walk you to your door, no funny business.” Mulder tells her, still slightly concerned that she is intoxicated- although it’s her place of residence, anyone could see her and try to take advantage.

Scully removes both of her shoes and pads down the carpeted hall to her door. “This is me.”

“Have a good night, Scully.”

“Mulder?” She stops him as he is turning to walk away.

“Thank you, for tonight. I’m sorry if I ruined your plans for the evening, I don’t know what came over me when I called you.”

“No worries.” He wishes he could say something more substantial but he can’t seem to find the words.

They bid goodnight and she shuts the door. He stares at the wood for a minute before turning to leave.

~

“What’s it like, being a radio host?” Scully bites into a French fry as they walk along. She had agreed to go with him to do some research for the show, but had gotten hungry on the way. A carton of fries occupies her left hand as she walks beside him, ignoring when he steals one or two of them.

“It’s cool, actually. It is just me most of the time, so maybe it’s a little lonely, but I really get to make it my own.”

“What about your colleagues at the station?” Scully asks him. She doesn’t mention the guests on the show, as he doesn’t have one every week.

“Let’s just say, they’re not my biggest fan.” Mulder tells her, plucking another fry from her stash.

Scully frowns. “What is that supposed to mean? They’re rude to you?” She stops walking and looks up at him with genuine concern.

He makes a so-so motion with his hand. “Not rude, but definitely not gracious. They call me Spooky Mulder. I think I might be kind of a joke to them.”

“That’s ridiculous, and childish.  _ And _ you have the second highest ratings.” They resume walking down a dirt path. Scully isn’t sure what they’re looking for, exactly, but follows Mulder anyway.

He glances at her in surprise. 

“I looked it up.” She tells him sheepishly. In the beginning, she had been almost desperate to prove that she wasn’t the only one under Mulder’s spell. At this point, months later, she couldn’t care less.

“The research is fun and interesting though.” He continues. “And recording, when it goes smoothly, is fun too.”

“Speaking of research, what are we looking for out here?” Scully asks him, glances around. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, it’s a simple forest trail.

Mulder shrugs, and she rolls her eyes. He doesn’t want to mention it because her reaction will be less than thrilled- it must be something especially off the wall.

“Have you ever heard of a pukwudgie?” He asks her, no trace of mirth in this tone.

“Can’t say that I have.” She glances sideways at him, crumpling her now empty carton of fries and shoving it in her pocket to throw away at a later time.

“It’s akin to a troll, I guess you could say. Two to three foot tall, grayish, with claws. Can disappear and reappear at will, sort of human-like.”

Scully’s hunch was right- this was one of his stranger endeavors. She resists the urge to sigh or roll her eyes. “I’m listening.” She prompts.

“Weeeelll,” Mulder draws out the word. “It’s been said that there’s been a few sightings of something similar out here in these woods. And cryptid episodes always rate well.” He shrugs, as if it’s obvious. “I thought I should check it out. Maybe we could find footprints or something.”

“What if we do?” She counters. 

He holds up the small bag he’s had hoisted on his shoulder this whole time- she’d barely noticed it. 

“First, a picture, and then, a mold.”

Scully finally lets out the laugh that has been sitting in her belly. “You’re nothing if not prepared, huh?”

“That’s what they say. Fox ‘Prepared’ William Mulder.” He grins at her.

“Oh, is that what they say?” Scully playfully runs ahead of him on the trail, ducking under the bough of a pine tree where the dirt path ends. She crouches quietly, watching his form become more visible as he approaches. 

“Scully?” He asks. The tree must be hiding her better than she thought.

She waits a few more seconds before jumping out behind him. “Boo!”

Mulder jumps, but so does something else in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I'm loving writing this story for you all! More chapters to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Scully’s hands land on Mulder’s back, but both of their attention is captured by the movement to their left. 

Something small and gray darts through the woods, away from them. Mulder’s hand reaches back to grab hers and they both freeze.

“What was that?” Scully whispers, squeezing his fingers.

“I don’t know.” He answers her honestly. He turns to face her but keeps her hand in his. They can still hear whatever it was moving through the brush.

“Maybe...maybe we should go.” The sun has gone down since they’ve arrived and with its dip below the horizon, the light has disappeared. Scully is admittedly a little afraid- something is out there, near them, that is unknown. It could be a rabid dog, a coyote, any number of things.

“I want to check it out.” Mulder says definitively, ever the investigator.

“You can’t go alone.” Scully tugs on his hand.

“Then come with me. I’ll keep you safe. It’s probably just a small animal.” 

She trusts him, so she agrees. They walk slightly deeper into the forest, hands still joined. Partly out of fear, and partly because Scully simply didn’t want to let go. She watches as Mulder squints at the ground, looking for tracks.

“There’s too many leaves, I don’t think there is enough bare ground for any imprints.” 

He shrugs noncommittally and keeps looking.

The second time they hear the sound, they mutually decide to run.

They arrive back at the car, panting. Scully takes one look at Mulder’s bewildered face and bursts out laughing. He follows suit, and soon they’re breathless from the laughter instead of a mixture of their fear and the jog.

She leans her forehead against his chest, closing her eyes and catching her breath for a moment. When she opens them again and catches his eye, he’s already looking at her. His warm palm drifts to her cheek and the sudden heady scent of his cologne this close hits her nostrils.

Mulder leans down, and she knows what’s coming. Her heart is racing with the knowledge that he’s about to kiss her.

“Excuse me.” A flashlight beam lands on them, and a voice cuts through the otherwise quiet night.

“Park closes at 9.” The officer taps his wristwatch.

“We were just leaving.” Scully tells him, climbing Into the passenger side of Mulder’s car to prove her point. Mulder gets in as well, turning the vehicle on and glancing at the clock- 8:55pm, they really  _ had _ been cutting it close to the closing time of the park.

~

As the car reverses and begins heading out of the park, Scully glances over at her counterpart.

“Why do I get the feeling that’s not the first time something like that has happened to you?”

“Because it’s not.” Mulder grins, voice chipper. He can’t help it- Scully wasn’t pulling away when he tried to kiss her. It didn’t matter that the kiss didn’t happen because of dumb luck, he could try again and she wouldn’t deny him.

This beautiful, intelligent, kind woman would let him kiss her, and that is enough to have the grin on his face lasting for the rest of the night.

~

Mulder wipes his palms on his jeans for the third time before he finally knocks on the door of Scully’s apartment. Tonight was the night he was finally bringing her to meet the Gunmen, and he was nervous. His best friends meeting his….meeting Scully. They had been begging him for weeks, ever since the recording he had done with her. 

“Hi Mulder, come in, let me grab my purse.” Scully opens the door and motions him inside. Her place is neat and tidy, lit with a warm glow and smelling faintly of apple cinnamon; exactly how he would picture her place to be. A small furry dog yips at him from a few feet away.

“Queequeg, I told you he was coming.” Scully scolds the dog and pats it on the head.

“You never told me you had a dog.” Mulder tells her. “Or that you’re such a big Moby Dick fan.” First Starbuck, now Queequeg- both references to the famous novel.

“My father….it was sort of our thing.” She admits, looking up at him from where she is still crouched by her dog. “He called me Starbuck and I called him Ahab.”

He wants to echo the word called, confirm the past tense, though he already knows from the look in her eyes that her father has passed. He knows, because he has the same look in his own whenever his own father is mentioned.

“You ready?” He gives her a small smile as she grabs a sweater and locks the door.

“As I’ll ever be.” She quips.

Nothing could have prepared him for this Scully- sleeves rolled up to her elbows, dealing cards for poker and frequently calling himself and his friends “boys”. She drinks whiskey out of a rock glass like the rest of them, no wine in sight for her.

“Did you forget that I told you I had two brothers and grew up a tomboy?” She had smirked at him the first round of poker that she won, scooping the chips toward her in victory.

Frohike was playing hard ball tonight, fingerless leather gloves clad on his hands and a scowl on his face as he mean-mugged his opponents over his glasses. Across the table, Scully looked as stoic as ever, not batting an eye at his antics.

When she kissed him on the cheek later that night before they left, Mulder thought Melvin was going to faint.

“I feel bad that I took their money.” Scully confesses as they make their way to the car.

Mulder snorts “Don’t- they take enough of mine. Consider it karma.”

“I could give you private poker lessons.” Scully jokes.

“Like a tutor?” Mulder wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“If you make any semblance of a hot for teacher joke-!” Scully warns him.

He grins. “You know me so well.”

“Or, you’re just predictable.”

Mulder gently backs her up against the side of his car. “Oh yeah?” He’s close enough to feel her body heat, the fabric of their jeans barely touching.

“Mhm.” Scully’s gaze doesn’t leave his own.

He steps away, smiling like the cat that got the canary. He wants to kiss her, chase the taste of whiskey from her mouth, but the build-up is so good that he goads himself into waiting a little bit longer.

~

“We’re just going to have to make a break for it.” Mulder tells her. Scully had agreed to meet Mulder for dinner- it had been over a week since they’d seen each other due to conflicting schedules. She warned him there was supposed to be a thunderstorm that night, but he had brushed it off.

“The weather man is always wrong.” he’d said.

As the pair stares out at their car, parked in the lot far from where they’re currently standing, the rain is very evident, and it’s quite clear that the meteorologist was correct.

It’s a cold rain, the kind of downpour where the drops are both large and plentiful. Scully’s umbrella had broken during the last storm and she’d forgotten to replace it, hence her unpreparedness tonight.

She sighs. “Race ya!”

He looks at her, surprised “You’re on.”

They run toward the car, the rain soaking them in seconds. Scully stands at the passenger side, tugging on the door handle. “Mulder!”

Mulder stares at the car keys, inside the car. Inside the  _ locked _ car. “Do you want the bad news or the good news first?”

“Bad.” Scully swipes a piece of drenched hair out of her eyes.

“The keys are locked in the car.” 

Scully balks. “Then what’s the good news?!”

“Byers will be able to get them out.”

She stares at him for a moment, before she starts laughing. “Never a dull moment with you.”

“I’ll call us a cab, we’re going to get pneumonia out here.” Mulder tells her.

They wait by the restaurant underneath the awning, although they’re already soaked. The cab driver raises his eyebrows but doesn’t say anything as the pair of soaked bodies climb into his backseat.

Twenty minutes later, they’re at Mulder’s apartment. This is the first time Scully has actually been inside- she had left him breakfast outside of his door once after he had a late night of research, but left as soon as she’d placed the bag and the coffee on the doormat.

She shivers, waiting for Mulder to emerge with clothes for her. He tosses her a large, fluffy towel and she catches it easily, wrapping it around herself.

“Nice towels for a bachelor.” She calls down the hallway.

“Another gift from my mother. Guess she was worried about me living in total squalor.” His voice is muffled behind the closed bedroom door.

The place is decent sized, clean aside from some papers and dishes scattered around- maybe sparsely decorated, but definitely not squalor. 

“Here.” Mulder pulls her from her thoughts by handing her a sweater and sweatpants. “The pants tie, so they won’t fall down.” He grins at her and she rolls her eyes.

“Thanks.”

His bathroom, again, boasts the light clutter of a bachelor- no women’s soaps or shampoos in sight, only a man’s razor and unscented hand soap sit on the sink.

Scully dresses in the large crew neck sweater and gray sweatpants, feeling like a cartoon character in the oversized clothing. But they’re comfortable, and they smell like Mulder. This thing between them is unspoken so far. Not dating, not just friends, but somewhere in between. She thinks that he’s almost kissed her twice now.

Although, she would definitely not decline a date with Fox Mulder.

~

It’s nearly midnight on a Sunday, and they both have a long day of work ahead the next day, but Mulder and Scully are on the phone.

“I’m just saying, it sounds like the guy likes you.” Scully has been regaling the tale of her co-workers latest antics this afternoon to Mulder. They often called just to talk about their days if they weren’t going to be seeing each other that evening.

“I don’t date in the workplace.” Scully responds. 

“Do you…date men who are named after forest animals?” Mulder asks- in his head, it sounded more confident and as more of a joke, but out loud it just sounds hopeful and a bit nervous.

“Depends, do you know any?” Leave it to Scully to ease the tension for him.

“You’d be surprised.” He jokes back.

“Mulder...are you asking me on a date?”

“Well, are you going to say yes? If you’re going to say no, then...no.” Again, the same tentative tone slips out.

“I’m going to say yes, but you have to ask me properly.” She’s infuriating, of course she wouldn’t make this easy.

“Dana Scully, will you go on a date with me?” 

“I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read, left kudos, and left a comment so far! It means so much to me. I'm glad people are enjoying this as much as I have been enjoying writing it.


	5. Chapter 5

“You look amazing.” It should come out like a cheesy first date line, but from Mulder, it seems sincere.

It makes her believe it.

Scully isn’t really even dressed up- they’re going mini golfing. She hasn’t been since she was a teenager, and she’s a little excited to feel young again. Lately she’s been feeling too caught up in the world and adult life. The only time she feels carefree and relaxed seems to be when she is with Mulder.

~

“I’m going to kick your butt.” She announces.

“Don’t you have to use a kid’s putter?” He teases.

She points it at him mock-threateningly. “You’re all talk now, but just wait!” Her smile turns sweet and innocent. “Besides, don’t you want one of the blue balls?”

Mulder gapes at her as she saunters by.

~

“Another hole in one? I think you’re cheating.” Mulder whines.

“How does one cheat at mini golf?” She shoots back, raising an eyebrow.

“Want to do the go-karts after?” He asks her hopefully. He always has so much energy and enthusiasm.

“Sure.” She agrees.

Mulder slips his hand into Scully’s as they walk to the track. 

“Don’t try to sweeten me up, I’m going to beat you on the track too.” Scully squeezes his fingers and laughs at his expression as they choose their cars.

Mulder ends up beating her out on 2 out of 3 laps and declares a victory. They’ve been at the sportsway for almost two hours, but neither of them is ready to call it a night yet. They grab a snack at the food court and eat in comfortable silence.

“Batting cages?” Mulder suggests- it’s the only activity they haven’t done yet. 

Scully looks skeptical. “I’m not sure. I’m not great at it.” She flashes back to her brothers dragging her and Melissa along during hot summers when their parents were working and they had no choice but to join. 

Her and her sister would share a Coke while Charlie and Bill hit ball after ball, the rhythmic sound of clanging metal interspersed with the ‘shoop’ of the ball being ejected from the automated machine.

“I’ll help you!” He suggests it in a way that Scully can’t resist.

“You like baseball?” Scully asks him as they pick out their dingy metal bats. It seems so…normal, for him to like the Great American Pastime.

“I do.” He confirms. “Grew up watching it with my dad, used to force Samantha to play catch with me all summer.”

“Sounds like my brothers forcing Melissa and I.” Scully snorts.

They hit balls side by side for a few minutes- Mulder in the fast pitch and she in the slow pitch. She’s not great at it now, as she never was, and her hands are starting to sting from the impact of the worn-out metal bat on the ball.

  
  


“Here.” Mulder must see her discomfort, because he slots himself behind her and readjusts her grip. “That should be better.” A ball is released from the machine just as he was going to step back, so he stays to swing with her. Their hips move in tandem and she tries not to blush at the brush of their bodies from her back to his front.

“That was better!” He says excitedly. The ball definitely goes farther than when she had been hitting on her own. 

“Guess I must’ve had a good teacher.” Scully notices that Mulder still isn’t letting go, but she is in no way complaining.

A few minutes later and they’re done for the evening. Scully leans her bat up against the chain-link fence for a moment. She has decided in the last sixty seconds to kiss Mulder. Clearly he has not gotten the hint to do it himself and she can’t take it anymore. She wipes her palms on her pants and turns around.

“Scull-!” The word hasn’t even fully left his mouth before she stretches onto her tiptoes and plants a firm kiss on his lips. She had intended it to be deeper, but the sudden movement of him shoving them both backward throws her off. He pulls away, and they separate just in time for Scully to see one more ball whizz past them. It would’ve directly hit her in the side if they had stayed in that spot.

She’s mortified.

She clears her throat and turns to grab the bat to put it away, her cheeks burning.

“Hey…” Mulder’s voice is soft and his hand touches her elbow- not quite a grab, giving her leeway to pull away.

“Hm?” She tries to act casual although she knows they both know she’s embarrassed. 

“Look at me.” 

She does, surprises herself by turning around and facing him despite her nerves. His hazel eyes are wide and sincere and it fills her with something she can’t quite understand.

“Jenny Rivers. Eighth grade. We were at the high school football game, and it had been raining. I put my hand on the bleachers between us when I leaned in and it was so wet that my hand slipped off. I fell into her and we smacked our faces together.”

  
  


Scully can’t contain her wry smile and small laugh. “Thank you.” She says softly.

He drops her off outside her door, and his hand gravitates to her waist while the other rests on her cheek. There’s a combination of him leaning down and her stretching up that’s uniquely them, and their lips meet once again. It’s languid and heady and everything Scully  _ knew _ that kissing him would be, and when they pull away with red lips she very nearly invites him in for the night.

They do part ways, and she sleeps in the same shirt she wore out because it smells like Mulder’s cologne.

~

On this particular night, Scully is down in the basement ‘office’ with Mulder as he gets ready for the night’s show. She’s quiet in the chair across from him, working on notes from her day at work. He likes having her here, even if they don’t talk much, both of them lost in their own world of work. She’s done this a few times now, come with him to the studio to listen to the show live, silent on the other side of the table but attentive nonetheless.

“Monday Nights with Mulder, whom am I speaking with?” He answers his first call-in of the night.

  
  


“Samantha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~DUN DUN DUN~


	6. Chapter 6

Mulder swallows hard. “Samantha.” He repeats.

“That’s right.” The voice on the line affirms. “I believe,” she says- and the line goes dead.

He finishes the rest of the show robotically, muscle memory practically taking over entirely. Mulder carefully avoids Scully’s eyes across the table, finally clicking the red END button and sighing in relief. His mind is going a mile a minute, he’s practically buzzing.

“Mulder…” Scully makes several attempts to speak to him as he bustles around the room, grabbing papers out of several of his filing cabinets.

“Was that your sister? Playing a prank?” She finally asks. She knows he has a sister named Samantha but he has never told her that she disappeared.

“It might’ve been her.” He finally says. “I haven’t seen her since we were twelve and eight.” 

“You’re estranged?” He can see a light bulb go off in her head; this makes sense to her, gives a meaning to the way he is acting. But he can’t lie to her like that- she’s the person he’s closest to in the world.

  
  


“No…no. She went missing.”

He can’t bear to look at the shock on her features. “I need to go. I’m going to the Gunmen, see if they can trace the call….” 

“Mulder, there’s thousands of Samantha’s out there.” Scully says gently.

“I know, but I have to try.” 

~

Scully paces by her phone as she waits for Mulder to call. He’s been out of town for three days now, had barely even told her where he was going and why.

The phone rings and she snatches it before it hits the second ring. “Mulder.” His name comes out of her mouth like a sigh of relief.

“Hey Scully, it’s me.” 

“Where are you? Is everything okay?” She twines the phone cord around her fingers.

“I’m okay.” He tells her, bypassing her first question entirely. “I’m just looking into something. I’ll be gone a few more days.”

“Be safe, stay out of trouble.” She warns. Scully is fully aware that he has gotten into hot water on more than one occasion where he was ‘just looking into something.’

“I will. I’ll talk to you soon.” 

~

‘Gone a few more days’ turns into an additional two weeks. He records his MNWM episodes from wherever he is and sends the tapes to the Gunmen to play in place of his normal live show on Monday’s.

Scully has only talked to him one more time on the phone, and she’s practically made herself sick with worry. She can’t shake the memory of Mulder’s sad and frantic expression when he left the recording studio that night- she’s never seen him like that. He was so vulnerable, it twisted something in her gut. The same feeling has stuck with her the entire time he’s been away.

She feeds his fish, cleans up his apartment while he’s gone even though she already knows he will complain about the lemon-scent of the cleaner she uses.

She shows up at the Lone Gunmen’s place a week and a half after Mulder has left. “Is whatever he’s doing dangerous?” She narrows her eyes at the three men, daring them to lie.

“It could be, potentially.” Byers finally admits.

“It’s Mulder’s place to tell you.” Melvin says protectively. As much as he cares for Scully too, Mulder was their friend first. Scully can respect that, but she still worries for his well-being.

“Stay for Thai?” Langley suggests, holding out one of the white takeout containers in offering.

She manages a tight-lipped smile in return. “No thanks. I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

~

Mulder slams his fist down on the heavy wooden dresser in the dingy motel room he’s staying in, belatedly glad that it doesn’t break. He’s been here for days and he’s still no closer to finding answers than he was at the first motel, or even back home in D.C. Could the caller really have been his sister? 

Who else would know to say “I believe”? Maybe it was some sort of cover up to throw him off of what was  _ really _ happening. He isn’t sure anymore, but he has no second opinion. A part of Mulder wants to confess the whole story to Scully, even the portions that he refuses to think about himself. He wants to discuss all his theories, every slightly insane notion that there’s something more to Samantha’s disappearance than a kidnapping. 

But he’s scared.

If he lost Scully, he would be losing everything. A friend, a confidant (for everything except Samantha), a research assistant, a dinner companion, and possibly even a lover. She already knows he harbors intense passion for wild theories, but if she knew the real truth would she turn and run for the hills? 

~

A knock on her door late at night has Scully’s heart racing. There would only be one person who would come over past 11pm without calling first.

She checks through the peephole just in case.

“Mulder!” She pulls open the door quickly. He looks disheveled, a five o’clock shadow on his normally clean-shaven face and bags underneath his usually bright eyes. “Come in.” Scully practically yanks him through the doorway and into her living room. “Is everything okay?” She almost wants to run her hands over him to double-check that he is alright, but she refrains.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just wanted to see you before I went home.” 

“Maybe you should stay here tonight.” She tugs Mulder to the kitchen and has him sit while she begins to make them each a mug of tea. He’s stayed over on her couch several times before, and she doesn’t want him to drive home while he’s clearly exhausted.

She hands him a mug of chamomile tea and they sit on the couch together. 

“Samantha’s disappearance was...strange.” Mulder says after a while. “I was 12, she was 8. My mom worked late sometimes and my dad was always away on business. We were horsing around in the living room, we may have been brother and sister and a few years apart but we got along, always had fun.” He looks down into his mug with a sad smile.

“The only thing I vividly remember is her screaming my name, screaming for me to help her. She was...she was sort of….floating, Scully.” He finally looks at her and she sees the expression of someone haunted by years of this exact memory. She also sees the face of someone afraid of ridicule.

“And there was a light, the brightest light I’ve ever seen, shining through the window. Now I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but that doesn’t seem like a kidnapping to me.”

Scully places a hand on his knee. “Thank you for telling me.”

“You know, you could’ve just searched it on the Internet. I know you have a laptop.” Mulder gives her a wry smile.

“I know.” She says simply. 

He sets his mug down on her coffee table and grabs her hand in his. “I missed you.” He admits. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long.”

“I missed you too. We all did.”

“All?”

“Myself, Byers, Langley, Frohike, that guy who lives across the hall from you and asks to borrow a different random item every other day.”

Mulder huffs a laugh as he thinks of his neighbor who often knocks on his door to borrow some sugar, or laundry detergent, or some other item. “Okay, I get it, I get it!” He holds his hands up and pretends to be bothered, but it makes his heart swell in his chest to realize that people actually care for him. He has spent so many years in his own world without anyone close to him.

“You’re a good man, Mulder. It wasn’t your fault.” She voices what she  _ knows _ he feels inside. 

He shrugs. “Does it really matter? She’s gone.” 

~

He has one hand on Scully’s hip and the other cradling the back of her head. Both of hers are tangled in his hair. The only sound in the dark is their kissing and the occasional breath.

It started when Scully tossed and turned for a few hours after they bid goodnight. Finally, at 2am, she crept in the living room, listening to see if she could decipher if Mulder was awake too.

“Mulder.” She whispered.

“Yes?” She hears a rustle, like he’s turning over on the sofa.

“I can’t sleep.” She pads further into the room to stand in front of the sofa.

“Me either.” 

“Come to bed.” Scully says softly. She had been thinking it, and apparently, she also said it out loud.

“Dana Scully, are you trying to seduce me?” He teases, but he sits up anyway. 

“No.” She rolls her eyes. “I just want you to come lay down and be comfortable. Maybe then we can get some sleep.”

‘Some sleep’ is an understatement, because they’re only laying there for a few minutes before he kisses her. It’s soft, gentle- a kiss goodnight- he would never pressure her and she knows that, but she’s the one who turns the kiss to something deeper.

In the morning, there is brown and red hair mixed together on the pillow, and the sound of two bodies breathing instead of one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to all of my kind readers, especially those who leave kudos and comments! I will be on vacation October 2nd-6th, so next chapter maybe be posted a day or two later than normal.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! A shorter chapter this time- the story is winding down, and I'm afraid it is almost time to say goodbye. The next chapter will be the final one. I will (hopefully) answer all of the unanswered questions as well as reveal what is in store for the future of our favorite agents. Who aren't agents at all in this verse...but you know what I mean.

Scully bites her lip as she paces behind Langley, Byers, and Frohike.

“Samantha Spender. Born in 1964. Works as a teacher.” Frohike spins around in his chair. “In other words, not Mulder’s sister.”

“Well the age matches up, although that doesn’t mean anything. But if she’s not, why pretend to be?” Scully wonders out loud. Mulder hasn’t mentioned the incident since he returned a few weeks ago, and so she’s taken it upon herself with help from the Lone Gunmen to find some answers. “And how would she know about Mulder’s past?”

“Your guess is as good as ours.” Langley shakes his head.

Scully stares at the picture, a young woman with curly brown hair. She tries hard to see some of Fox in her, but she can’t reconcile the two. Could this really be her, or is it an elaborate hoax, a mean-spirited prank on a radio host of a controversial show?

It takes her a few days to work up the courage to tell Mulder what she had found.

He’s quiet for a few minutes, won’t look her in the eyes. “Scully, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to get tangled up in this.” His voice sounds strained, and for the first time, she can’t sense his emotions.

“I wanted to help you.” She says softly.

They sit in silence for several more minutes before she kisses him on the head and leaves the apartment.

~

Things have been distant between Mulder and Scully for about a week. So much so that Scully even feels slightly strange tuning into the show on Monday night when they’ve barely spoken in days.

Even still, she finds herself on her couch with her customary mug of tea. After the show ends, she decides to go for a drive to clear her head. She’s too old to be sitting in limbo with a man like this- she likes Mulder, has feelings for him that are strong and real and frankly, scare her. But the thought of not doing anything about it scares her more. Scully wants to tell Mulder point-blank how she feels, but she needs a little more time. She climbs into her car and takes a deep breath before pulling onto the roadway.

~

Mulder calls Scully’s phone shortly after the end of  _ Monday Nights with Mulder _ . She doesn’t answer, which is unusual for her, even if they have barely spoken recently.

“Hey Scully, it’s me. I wanted to talk to you, call me back when you get this.”

He waits around for about twenty minutes in his small basement office, before he decides to just drive to her place rather than waiting for a call back. Mulder might be a little out there, but he isn’t a complete idiot. Dana Scully is beautiful, intelligent, kind, witty, and a million other adjectives that he can’t even begin to name- and she has feelings for him, as he does for her. To let that go would be a huge mistake. He’s already wasted enough time by leaving town and with everything that happened after. He doesn’t know why he’s tried so hard not to let Scully in, but he’s done. He can’t hide the part of himself anymore that is tied tightly to his missing sister, it’s too much a part of who he is. Mulder plans to lay all his cards on the table and although Scully may take it or leave it, at least he’ll know.

He drives the familiar route to her residence, but is stopped by a small swarm of police cars and emergency personnel- it must be an accident. Mulder’s blood turns to ice when he passes slowly by the scene and sees Scully’s tiny car in a crumpled heap.

~

* _ crack _ * ping! * _ crack _ * ping! * _ crack _ * ping! * _ crack _ * ping!

The repetitive noise stirs Scully from her sleep. A bird outside her window, maybe? 

No; as she opens her eyes, she sees that she’s not at home in her bedroom. All white walls, the lingering scent of disinfectant, the same sea-green curtain divider that seems to be in every room no matter where the city- Scully can tell she is in a hospital. Her gaze slides to her right, and she can see Mulder at her bedside, deft fingers picking at the bag of sunflower seeds in his hand. A seed cracks between his teeth and then pings again as he spits it into the bedpan on the floor.

“Mulder.” Her voice is hoarse, and she clears her throat.

His hazel eyes snap to hers. “Scully!”

“What happened?” The last thing she really remembers is listening to his voice on the radio show.

“You were in a car accident.” He abandons his bag of seeds on the table in favor of holding her hand. “Your car was totaled, but you’re gonna be just fine.”

Her unoccupied hand goes to her forehead to feel the bandage there.

“Wound from the airbag.” Mulder supplies.

“My mom-”

“-is in the waiting room.” Mulder finishes. “So is Bill.” He chuckles. “He doesn’t like me very much.”

Scully rolls her eyes. “Sometimes I think Bill doesn’t like  _ me _ very much.” Her stomach flutters. Mulder has met her mom.

“Fox, I…” The use of his first name has his eyes widening. “I wanted to tell you, before this happened, but I think I should still tell you.” She takes a deep breath. Maybe she’s strange for doing this under the circumstances, but life is short, and she can’t spend another second not  _ knowing _ .

“I think we should be together.” Scully says simply. There, she’s finally said it.

Mulder chuckles. “I was on my way to tell you the same thing when I passed by your crunched up car.”

Both of them heave a sigh of relief. 

~

“He’s handsome.” Maggie remarks to Scully as she sits at her bedside. Mulder stepped out for a coffee. 

Dana smiles. “He’s important to me. I think he’s going to be in my life for a while, Mom.”


End file.
